Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukarya

Kingdom: Fungi

Phylum: Basidiomycota

Class: Agaricomycetes

Order: Agaricales

Family: Amanitaceae

Genus: Amanita

Species: Amanita muscaria

Characteristics of each taxon which Amanita muscaria belongs to:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukarya

Eukarya:

The domain Eukarya includes cells which possess nuclei which contain the organism's genetic information, a cell membrane, and membrane-bound organelles, as shown in the diagram on the right.

Fungi:

Organisms in the kingdom Fungi are heterotrophic, meaning they cannot make their own food like plants do, and have to consume other organisms. Fungi are decomposers, meaning they consume dead organisms. Their cell walls consist of chitins, which distinguish fungi from plants. In addition, most of the fungi are non-motile.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basidiomycota

Basidiomycota:
 

Fungi in the phylum Basidiomycota are usually composed of hyphae, as in the diagram shown on the left, and reproduce sexually through spores that are produced on basidia, although some fungi can reproduce asexually exclusively. Most exhibit the feature of dikaryon, meaning after plasmogamy (the fusion of two parental cells‘cytoplasm), the two nuclei cohabit without karyogamy (the fusion of two parental cells’ nuclei).

Agaricomycetes: 
 
Organisms in the class Agaricomycetes have caps (pileus) and are filamentous, meaning having hyphae.

Agaricales:

Organisms in the order Agaricales can only be classified based on the relatedness of genetic information; none of the morphological, biochemical, or ecological traits can link the members of the order.

Amanitaceae:

Organisms in the family Amanitaceae usually have white, rarely pink or greenish, spores; white to pale coloured lamellae; hymenium,a layer of cells which produce spores, with free, or almost free, lamellae; a cap with a central or eccentric stipe; and a universal veil, as shown to the right, that envelopes the whole fruiting body.

(Photo Source:www.amanitaceae.org)

Amanita:

Organisms in the genus Amanita usually have scales, which are the remnants of universal veils, on the cap, and a ring and a volva on the stipe.

Amanita muscaria:
 
The species Amanita muscaria, shown to the left, has white scales on the cap which typically has a colour ranging from red to white and is usually convex or flattened.
(Photo Source:islandnature.ca )